Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queretaro and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Queretaro: $1,417 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,417

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Queretaro and in Budapest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Queretaro and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,417 per month in Queretaro vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Queretaro $1,417
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Queretaro vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Queretaro $2,165
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,913 per month in Queretaro vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Queretaro $2,913
Budapest $3,429

Queretaro is about 12% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Queretaro and Budapest sit above the global median – Queretaro by 5%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.14 MX$206

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-20.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 MX$1,148

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

1.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 MX$176

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-6.77%

Cappuccino

$3.66 MX$67.7

$3.26 Ft 1,055

12.27%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.35

$2.14 Ft 690

-25.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.97

$1.78 Ft 577

-39.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MX$60.6

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-11.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 MX$100

$3.77 Ft 1,217

43.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 MX$36.26

$1.15 Ft 371

70.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 MX$50.5

$1.79 Ft 578

53.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.11

$2.49 Ft 804

-19.28%

Eggs

$2.65 MX$48.95

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-32.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 MX$160

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-22.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.82 MX$163

$6.62 Ft 2,139

33.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.45 MX$249

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-8.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 MX$64.0

$1.83 Ft 591

89.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.31

$2.05 Ft 661

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.45

$2.37 Ft 765

-7.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.36

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-49.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.30

$0.99 Ft 320

87.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.18

$1.00 Ft 322

74.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.43

$1.58 Ft 511

-6.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.09

$0.67 Ft 216

79.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 MX$82.2

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-44.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.98 MX$332

$6.22 Ft 2,009

189.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 MX$39.99

$1.27 Ft 411

70.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 MX$70.6

$2.03 Ft 654

88.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 MX$10.70

$1.52 Ft 490

-61.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.87 MX$478

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-7.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 MX$59.1

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-3.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 MX$46.95

$1.37 Ft 442

85.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.92 MX$202

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-44.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.70

$1.82 Ft 589

-14.84%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.5K MX$397.5K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-27.81%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.6K MX$436.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-30.17%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$57.2 MX$1,057

$171 Ft 55.3K

-66.58%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.92 MX$497

$23.51 Ft 7,596

14.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.48 MX$452

$23.29 Ft 7,526

5.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 MX$1,063

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-14.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.36 MX$450

$18.89 Ft 6,104

28.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 MX$137

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-20.11%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$263 MX$4,869

$533 Ft 172.3K

-50.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,015 MX$92.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-70.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 MX$956

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-48.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.24 MX$818

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 MX$1,847

$110 Ft 35.7K

-9.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.7 MX$1,843

$119 Ft 38.4K

-16.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 MX$15.4K

$830 Ft 268.3K

0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 MX$10.2K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-10.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 MX$27.0K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-8.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 MX$15.2K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-29.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,253 MX$41.6K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-61.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,275 MX$23.6K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-67.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$910 MX$16.8K

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-44.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.99

6.45

85.89%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Queretaro: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Queretaro

$554 39.1%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 12.3% $68

Groceries & Markets

Queretaro

$305 21.6%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 15.6% $48

Eating Out

Queretaro

$199 14.1%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 11.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Queretaro

$133 9.4%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 26% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queretaro

$109 7.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 101% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Queretaro

$72 5.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 19% $14

Getting Around

Queretaro

$44 3.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 0.3% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Queretaro versus $830 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 81% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Queretaro versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $305 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

14:52 2:52 PM

8 h ahead of Queretaro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

804,663

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Queretaro Budapest 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Queretaro
Budapest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Queretaro vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,125 per month in Queretaro and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Queretaro, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Queretaro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Queretaro and $533 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Queretaro, where all-in costs run around $1,417, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Queretaro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Queretaro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Queretaro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.